Product Description

GMT is proud to present Vance von Borries’ sixth epic game in his award winning series of East Front games, Barbarossa: Crimea. This is a two-player operational level game depicting the battles in the Crimean peninsula of the Soviet Union during 1941 and 1942. Beginning in mid-October 1941 and ending in January 1942, it completes the year 1941 in this series of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. And it includes 1942 scenarios of the continued fighting in Crimea until the historical fall of the great Soviet naval fortress Sevastopol in July 1942. In the fall of 1941 there could be no question whether the Axis would invade the Crimea. The Soviets had been using air and naval bases there to threaten German oil supplies in Romania since the start of the war. When German troops fought their way into Crimea during October they had hoped it would be a quick campaign. Instead it became protracted with a costly siege of over eight months at Sevastopol. Where the British and French had dared to challenge the Russians a century before, now it was Germany’s turn. There would be new “valleys of death.” Players will find all nine scenarios challenging. Neither side fights anything approaching overwhelming superiority, and the challenge will always be to get the most possible out of the forces you have. The Axis has the superior ground army, but never enough units to get the job done quickly. The Soviets have mastery at sea, but their navy is fragile. Soviet fortifications, especially around Sevastopol, are formidable, but the Axis player can assemble an array of monster siege guns unmatched at any other time in the Second World War. Six of the nine scenarios can be played on one or two 11 x 17 inch four color scenario cards, and the other three require just a single map. For those with play space issues, this is your game. All components, from rules to player aid cards, are in color.